What Are Little Boys Made Of?

In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.

Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate

When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.

David Benkof: Behind the Mask

At first glance, David Benkof appears to be a young gay man who believes that same-sex marriage will damage the institution of marriage, that there are better options for gay couples than marriage, that the community should join him in prioritizing other more pressing issues, and that the marriage discussion is harming the efforts of gay couples in red states to get recognition for their unions. He also claims that he’s a gay columnist, that he speaks for an influential collection of gay thinkers, and that he is part of the gay and lesbian community and that he shares our goals and dreams. But none of that is true.

“Repeat After Me”: The Reparative Therapy Echo Chamber

The April 2008 edition of the pay-to-publish vanity journal Psychological Reports featured a new report from NARTH. Written by NARTH president A. Dean Byrd, past president Joseph Nicolosi, and Richard W. Potts, the report carries the unwieldy but self-descriptive title, “Clients perceptions of how reorientation therapy and self-help can promote changes in sexual orientation.” While the title describes what the authors meant to show — how clients describe the benefits of reparative therapy — the report itself actually illustrates something very different: the ex-gay movement’s remarkable ability to instill an almost robot-like parroting of ex-gay rhetoric among their clients.

Testing the Premise: Is MRSA The New Gay Plague?

The Toronto Star said that a new study “discover[ed] a new strain” of a super-bug “hitting gay men.” Headlines in Britain screamed, “Flesh-eating bug strikes San Francisco’s gay community,” and anti-gay extremists across America spread the alarm that gays were introducing another plague into “the general population.” But there was a small problem with all of this: None of it is true!

Paul Cameron’s World

In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.

From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”

On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.

The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths

At last, the truth can now be told.

Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!

Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?

Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.

Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples

Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.

The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.

Review: The Gay Report

When Karla Jay and Allan Young published The Gay Report in 1979, it quickly a favorite source of statistics for many anti-gay extremists. But before you accepts these statistic at face value, you should examine the inner workings of this survey very carefully. What you learn might surprise you.

Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count

The FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.

Sen. Hatch “clarifies” that he meant the opposite of what he said about DADT

Timothy Kincaid

February 4th, 2010

Senator Hatch (Mormon – UT), is now uncomfortable with having told Andrea Mitchell that he had an open mind on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Perhaps his church informed him that his position was in opposition to changing the policy or perhaps the Republican Party clarified for him exactly what he thinks, but whatever the reason, Senator Hatch wishes the public to know that his vote will be in opposition to the change irrespective of the requests of the Pentagon, the position of the Commander in Chief, the findings of the study, or the wishes of the populace.

“It’s deeply regrettable that liberal groups are misconstruing my position on ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ for activist purposes. I certainly do not support repealing this policy,” Hatch’s statement on Thursday said.

I guess little ol’ “liberal” me must have misconstrued his position when I posted the video and typed out this words verbatim. I suppose I should have realized that he meant exactly the opposite of what he said. Sen. Orrin Hatch is not “at least open to the idea” of being “willing to vote for the change.”

Or, to put it in politician-speak:

“What I said was that I want to see Adm. Mullen’s report. This is a controversial issue with inflamed passions on both sides,” Hatch said.

“Over the years, the views of the military officers and experts, whom I respect, have said that repealing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ would make life for our troops more difficult — especially as our armed forces wage a global war on terrorism,” Hatch said.

He added, “I always try to be fair and stand by what’s right and that is why I look forward to reviewing the admiral’s report.”

Somehow “I look forward to reviewing” seems a bit disingenuous when coupled with “I do not support” and “experts, whom I trust”. One gets the sense that the ‘review’ will be a search for items to criticize rather than an impassioned desire to do what is right and correct.

I’m uncertain whether this is an indication that the Republican Party wishes to present a unified front in opposition to the change. But if that is the case, it will only serve to further entrench the party as recalcitrant, obstructionist, and hopelessly in servitude to a tiny fraction of socially ultra-conservative activists.

Polls have shown that a majority of the public, a majority of Republicans and a majority of conservatives all favor doing away with Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. But it seems that Sen. Orrin Hatch no longer dances to the tune of conservative Republicans; he now only dances when the subset of social extremists play.

Sadly for Senator Hatch, it must be increasingly difficult to look in the mirror and say, “I just plain do not believe in prejudice of any kind” or “I just want to do what is right”.

Comments

cowboy

“For one brief shining moment…” — from Camelot. was the thought running in my brain when I read what Sen. Hatch said yesterday and then I hear this clarification from him.

Typical. Consummate politician he is. Life will continue to leave Orrin behind as he continues to write his music & lyrics while sitting at his desk in Washington D.C. Gleefully knowing his Utah constituents will vote for him AGAIN.

Ray

John

Orrin Hatch is and always has been a bigot. So this really comes as no surprise.

This reminds me of another issue though regarding Senators running on at the mouth (particularly on camera). Senate rules allow someone to just say they are filibustering a bill, and the filibuster is on. They don’t have to stand there on the Senate floor hour after hour talking. Because filibusters are so painless now, they are being used much more frequently. And why not? No effort needed!

However, if the old rules were to be brought back and windbags like Hatch would have to stand there hour after hour (perhaps for several days straight) on camera, could you imagine the mileage one could get from the screwy things they say, their angry outbursts as they got more tired. America would also have a very clear visual picture of who is blocking the nation’s business.

The Senate is dominated by elderly men. If they want to put this country’s business on hold, let’s see them work for it. And who knows what they might give us in the process

Chris McCoy

Polls have shown that a majority of the public, a majority of Republicans and a majority of conservatives all favor doing away with Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

Do you have links to these polls?
When were they conducted?
Have any polls been conducted since the passages of Prop 8 and Prop 1, and the SSM defeats in NY and NJ?
A recent poll over at Daily Kos indicates that only 26% of Republicans favor repealing DADTDP.

I appreciate your larger point here, but I’m leery of pinning Hatch’s views on his Mormonism, and to do so without providing any source on what the Mormon Church thinks about DADT has a whiff of religious bigotry. Their push on Prop. 8 is not necessarily indicative of a general “anything to screw over the gays” policy (which is more characteristic of the evangelical we-can-cure-‘em-at-Jesus-Camp types). Gov. Huntsman of Utah is also a Mormon, and he favors civil unions; Elder L. Whitney Clayton has said the Mormon church will not oppose legislation for domestic partnerships and civil unions.

Richard Rush

I’ve noticed before that some polls show the public to be much more supportive for gays in the military than on other gay rights issues. Even those who self-identify as conservative or Republican show about 58% support. I’m curious, though, about what the reason may be.

I’m inclined to think the reason is that they would much rather see gays be wounded or killed in battle than their own friends and relatives. Is that too cynical? I don’t think so. With two wars still in progress, people know a “draft” is always a possibility.

But I also saw that Daily Kos poll showing 26% support from Republicans, so if that one is correct, then all I can say is . . .never mind.

What Orrin Hatch did here was very typical! He just says what he thinks the current audience wants to hear – and when a different audience is listening, he changes his tune to what they want to hear! Nothing new and something that has been getting worse and worse in the recent past.

Nowadays politicians don’t think twice about outright lies when talking (down) to people who want to hear them – take for instance Susan Collin’s (Maine – R) response to Obama’s weekly address where she spews lie after lie after lie! Who cares!?!? The only ones listening want to hear about how wrong it is for Obama’s administration to mirandize the “underwear bomber” – They want to believe that non-U.S. citizens have no human rights.

The only folks who caught Rachel Maddow exposing her lies and telling the truth about them are liberals who wouldn’t be voting for her anyway — and who Republicans wouldn’t believe anyway. So, who cares that she lies in order to whip up a republican frenzy against following the constitution even when the guilty party is a foreign terrorist!

Frick, 95% of what most politicians say is just to pander to those who are listening.

cowboy

I would suggest the cozy relationship of a lot of the LDS Church Elders with the Sutherland Institute can give a pretty good indication of what a good portion of the Mormon populace believe.

You’ll never see a code of bigotry written or endorsed pronouncement by the LDS First Presidency but the actions and comments I have heard and the reality of living in a LDS dominate culture has shown me the majority of Mormons are prejudiced toward gays. Hence the dichotomy of when some Elders in the LDS Church say one thing but this year (again!) the Mormons in the Utah Legislature are not going to act on resolutions to give gays protection in their jobs or domicile.

And I’d love to introduce you to some BYU students from not too long ago that went through some “cures”. The LDS Church lets Evergreen/NARTH use office space on their Temple Square. They’re not that much different than their Evangelical cousins.

Mykelb

John Doucette

How about the Tea Party movement has the regular Republicans running scared. That and talk about a purity test for Repub politicians to get campaign funds. When it’s all said and done, the KKK and John Birch Society will look like left-wing groups. Until now regular people could still accept the false belief that our politicians actually had some principles. This past year has proved that the Repubs have none.

customartist

The Utah State Legislature just last week postponed passing anti-gay legislation, reportedly as a way of de-focusing Gay issues on the State (and Mormon Church).

Obviously to me, they will continue to “keep it as quiet” (refereing to their promotion of hate) as possible. Remember this was one of the secret directives of the Mormon leadership during the build up to Prop 8.

“Shhhhhhh – keep it quiet!”

Amicus

I never believed his first statement. I figured it was just a gaff, the follow-on the the Mormon charm-offensive in the wake of Prop8 (afterall, they did issue that kind statement that they still love us ‘n all).

He’s just been notified by the Grand Wizard that, like marriage, the military is another ‘justifiable distinction’. That’s all.

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